I received an inquiry from Elizabeth a little while back after I posted a comment on my Facebook page about how excited I was that the Restoration on King was opening and how I'd love to shoot an portrait session there! Much to my delight, my tweets and Facebook updates were starting to work! Elizabeth and Kurt were visiting Charleston and wanted a few photos to commemorate their anniversary. I love doing "just because" sessions like these. It was so lovely meeting you, Elizabeth and Kurt! Come back again soon! XO, Char

Meet Erin Perkins: blogger, fashionista, biker, do-gooder and just about one of the coolest people I know in Charleston! I saw Erin fly by me several times on her mountain bike on King Street. Then I met her at a few events and she told me about about her blog, appropriately named High Heels and Two Wheels. Awesome. When Erin moved to Charleston over a year ago, she ditched her car to prove that it's not that hard to get around by bike. She blogs about her experience sans la voiture, answers questions about biking and posts other random tidbits that she finds interesting. I find her goal of biking for one year so inspiring that I try to bike more and drive less, although my outfits and heels are not nearly as cool. Erin and I met up on our bikes for a little photo session a few weeks ago and I'm so proud to share the images with you! Erin, congrats on your one year anniversary and thank you for sharing your story with all of us!

We started out near the College of Charleston where Erin works as the Art Director, and found two great backdrops right away. Erin's brother picked out her mountain bike and she affixed a dairy crate to the back. I love it!

Check out her heels...they are SO HIGH!

I love this black and white image in the cisterne.

I shot most of these with my Holga and Lomo but shot the next few with my Canon 5D Mark II.

This image turned out AMAZING! I need a large framed print for my studio!

I am beyond excited to feature my dear friend, Alesya Opelt, on my blog today! I met Alesya when I first moved to Charleston and we've been friends ever since...she's smart, funny, kind and well, I love her like a sister. I've been in total awe of Alesya all year as I've watched her create her very own laptop bag from scratch...and blog about the process the entire time! After all of her hard work, the bag is finally here in Charleston and available online! I purchased the Kelly Green Girl and can't wait to tote it around town on the back of my cruiser!

Alesya took considerable care in designing her laptop bag and also hired the best in the biz to create her logo and brand identity to go with the bag, and her vibrant personality! The gals at Stitch did a wonderful job in helping bring everything to life for Alesya Bags. I was so honored when Alesya asked me if I'd shoot the lifestyle and product photos for her website! OF COURSE! I couldn't wait to be a part of it! Before the shoot, we scouted locations in downtown Charleston by way of beach cruisers. We narrowed it down to three fabulous backdrops for inspiration. We had the most fun and I think the images turned out beautifully! Here are a few photos from the shoot!

Here's Alesya getting ready for the product shots!

One of the best parts of the day was having the opportunity to work along side Ayoka Lucas, Stylist and Fashion Editor for Charleston Magazine. She's also the Founder and Creative DIrector of Charleston Fashion Week! Impressive, huh? I think so too. Ayoka pulled all of these AMAZING outfits (that I could have never put together on my own) from Monkees of Daniel Island . BTW, how stylish is Ayoka? I mean, for realskies? And this was on a Sunday morning. I looked like I just walked out of Talbots and Ayoka was rocking it like she was on a runway.

Aleysa invited Stephanie, who interned for Alesya Bags for the day. She drove all the way from Columbia to make sure we shot every image on the shot list...bag open, bag closed, back with stuff in it, etc. Alesya met Stephanie at CFW and asked if she might want to help with the launch! Thanks Stephanie, you were such a huge help!

We shot all of the bags while our model was getting her makeup done by the fabulous Leslie Moore of Moore Makeup.

I used 2 white walls to bounce natural light onto the bag on top of white construction paper. I am learning so much about product photography and I can't wait to see how my work grows as I work with Alesya in the years to come.

Not only is Alesya a great entrepreneur, she also works so hard to help other women. She saw Alexandra, our model, at Charleston Fashion Week, tracked her down and invited her to model for the shoot! Alexandra did a wonderful job, don't you think? I think she has a great career ahead of her!

I found this wall and thought Alesya would love it, especially since it was for a Fall line....I love the texture of it.

Ayoka definitely helped me think outside of this box. I never would have thought of this pose (below) on my own! She prevented the model from looking to "catalogy"...I know, that's not a word, but it's the best way to describe it.

And here's the team, sans yours truly!!!

Congrats Alesya! I am so proud of you! For setting goals and deadlines and for meeting them! For persevering, despite hiccups and frustration. For sharing your journey with the world and all of your fans and followers. And most of all, for being an inspiration to women entrepreneurs! The story you have created is remarkable and I feel so lucky to be just a small part of it. I love you. XO, Char

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Katie Armour, blogger of The Neo-Traditionalist and co-founder of the online magazine, Matchbook. Matchbook Magazine is a women's lifestyle magazine celebrating "the classics shaken and stirred", as Katie so charmingly noted, and I was excited to learn that upon perusing the site, I am indeed a Matchbook girl, are you? Katie asked if I would shoot photographs for a feature story in Charleston starring Hanna Nation, founder of Gadabout, a stationery design store. Not only is Hanna as stylish as the designs she creates, she is also utterly adorable, kind and was so honored and thrilled to be featured in the magazine.

Hanna, I am so glad that we were able to meet and collaborate for this shoot! You deserve every bit of recognition for your beautiful stationery and I can't wait to see your business grow and flourish. I am even more excited to take pics of you in your wedding gown for your bridal portrait in just a few short months!

xoxo,
Char

Tasked with taking pictures in quintessential Charleston locations, Hanna and I decided on three unique locations. Hanna chose John Pope Antiques on lower King Street as the first location. John's antiques are gorgeous - what a wonderful and unique place for a portrait session. Thanks for the champagne and for making us feel so comfortable in your space, John! :-)

I absolutely LOVE this image. When I snapped it, I told Hanna that I knew this one would get chosen for the feature and it was.

The second location we chose was south of Broad Street in downtown CHS, natch. It has some of the most gorgeous homes in Charleston which make for the most amazing backdrops. Since I live south of Broad, I bike around in search for perfect locations for my clients. I don't like repeating locations...if I can, I want to make each session different and unique for each client/couple. I am not even kidding when I say you can find a wall, shoot, take two steps and find another gorgeous backdrop...I am head over heels in love with Charleston.

Side note: I am obsessed with house on Tradd Street, isn't it insane??? It's being renovated right now. If I had a million dollars, I would buy it.

This is my favorite image from the shoot. Hanna, you are so beautiful.

This photo is the coolest. Hanna is holding Lauren Bush'sFeed bag, a bag that if purchased, helps feed those in need.

This wasn't one of Hanna's final favorites but I love this image. I told her that her Mom will love it, especially in black and white...isn't it gorgeous? It's just sweet, especially since she's about to become a Mrs. this year.

The third location we chose was the marina because it just wouldn't be a Charleston shoot without some water in it somewhere, right?